1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to television systems, and more specifically to a method and apparatus for enabling a user to access data network applications (e.g., internetwork browsing) from a television system.
2. Related Art
Since the 1940s, television systems have been increasingly embraced by many households, particularly in the industrial countries. Television systems have generally been used to view broadcasts made in distant parts of the world or to view a pre-recorded program from a video cassette player (VCP). A significant proportion of the households presently have at least one television set in their homes. Television displays are presently available or anticipated to be widely available in analog (e.g., NTSC analog signal displayed on a CRT based display screen) as well as digital technologies (e.g., HDTV).
In parallel, data network applications (hereafter "network applications") have experienced a phenomenal growth since the mid-1980s. Network applications such as webbrowsing and electronic mail have had a fundamental impact on the manner in which information is exchanged and disseminated. These network applications have particularly been implemented for and used along with computer systems such as personal computer systems, work-stations, and the like.
At least in view of the considerable presence of the television systems in the households, it may be desirable to provide the capability to access the network applications on television systems. However, there may be several problems which need to be addressed to enable access of data network applications from television systems.
For example, the display of network applications needs to be coordinated with the display of the television signal. The user may need to be provided the ability to select one display or the other, or to specify that each display occupy a portion of the television screen. Therefore, a television system may need to provide a user the ability to select one of television signal or the network application, and accordingly display the selection in a pre-specified portion.
In addition, the system may need to be designed to appropriately process the different forms/formats in which the signals of the network applications and television signal are received. For example, a television signal may be received in interlaced format (e.g., composite television signal in NTSC format) and the network application data may be received in a non-interlaced format. Further, the provision of network application access may need to be cost-effective for wider market acceptance.
Thus, what is needed is a method and apparatus which addresses such problems and provides a user the ability to access network applications from a television system in a cost-effective manner.